Bala Shark
- Thread starter Henryzimm23
- Start date
Welcome aboard
Personally never heard of Bala Shark being aggressive but Black Sharks yes.
Wouldnt say balas are aggressive but they are food hogs and when they get large can outcompete smaller or more timid fish for food.
That’s good news then .. what kind of fish would go well with a Bala I have a 36gal tank .. I’d like to start off with a shark an a couple fish
36 gallon will only hold a bala comfortably for a couple months. They grow 15"+ and thick. Ideal tank size is 180 or bigger for full grown balas.
My balas have outgrown my 150 at 10-12" length, and i am in the process of building a larger tank to house them.
Oh wow really I wasn’t sure how big they would get .. I’m gonna need a bigger tank .. thank you for letting me know that
Yes they are demanding of space but very impressive and rewarding fish when they are healthy adults.
To answer your previous questions, they are compatible with a great many medium-large types of community fish. Just be aware of their capabilities to vacuum up food before shy fish or bottom feeders have a chance to get some.
I keep mine with severums, blue acaras, pim cats, various tetras, clown loaches to name a few.
Ive seen them kept with larger more aggressive fish as well like arowana, giant gourami, gars, peacock bass. They make a great dither fish for large cichlids in a suitably large tank due to their toughness and quickness (and low cost to replace)
Keep a tight lid on your tank. They are jumpers!
Love my balas, they can be skittish in smaller tanks but mine are quite chill in the 450.
Others have chimed in with some good info regarding this beautiful fish. Your current small tank is unsuitable and even when you get round to getting a bigger tank you need to be buying multiple balas really, they're better, and more impressive in groups. I bought four in 2015. One died the day after I got them, the other three are between 9-11" now.
They're not the fastest growers ime, even though they can be gluttonous, but they are one of the fastest at swimming when they want to, they have a real turn of speed, even more reason for a big aquarium. They can jump too, as mentioned, so a good lid is essential. Never known mine to be aggressive neither.
I don't know about anybody else but mine make a right racket at feeding times. They have a slight underslung telescopic mouth and when they are sucking pellets up from the bottom of the tank their mouths dart out very quickly and they make what can only be described as a loud click.
All in all a great addition to a tank, if it's big enough that is.
They're not the fastest growers ime, even though they can be gluttonous, but they are one of the fastest at swimming when they want to, they have a real turn of speed, even more reason for a big aquarium. They can jump too, as mentioned, so a good lid is essential. Never known mine to be aggressive neither.
I don't know about anybody else but mine make a right racket at feeding times. They have a slight underslung telescopic mouth and when they are sucking pellets up from the bottom of the tank their mouths dart out very quickly and they make what can only be described as a loud click.
All in all a great addition to a tank, if it's big enough that is.
Also they should be kept in a school. So, the best companion for *A* Bala shark is a handful more.
